Vigor
by Thiswouldbeakick
Summary: '"Oh, shit..." Jim mumbled. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Spock now and looked horror-stricken into the crater. This was bad…'. A seemingly simple missions goes horribly wrong for Jim and Spock and it is up to the rest of the Enterprise-crew to safe them before it is too late...Hurt!Jim and hurt!Spock. Please R and R. ON HIATUS (but will be finished in due time...)
1. Chapter 1

The mission was nothing special and was likely to be uneventful.  
The crew of the Enterprise was to 'visit' an unclassified and uninhabited planet for documentation purposes. Simple: check that it was still uninhabited, report back to Starfleet regarding the state of the small planet and mission accomplished. At least, that was how it should have gone…

* * *

"Mr. Chekov, how would you feel about stretching your legs outside of this ship?" Jim walked onto the bridge and immediately addressed the young Russian.  
"What do you mean, captain?" Chekov answered.  
"I mean that you are coming with us to inspect that planet" Jim explained and pointed to the small dot that was visible just outside the bridge window. Chekov vigorously nodded his head and an exciting twinkle lighted up in his eyes.  
"Would be happy to!" He answered cheerily.  
"Good man" Jim said with a smile, "report to the Engineering deck in 15 minutes. Bring a jacket, it's supposed to be cold out there".  
"Yes, captain!" Chekov just managed to say, before he jumped up from his chair and ran off the bridge to collect his things.

"Are your certain about this, captain?" Spock appeared next to Jim.  
"He's been asking me for ages to join us on a mission" Jim answered, "this is an uninhabited planet, Spock. We'll have a walk around, confirm no one is there and mission accomplished. It's ideal for it. He'll have a blast and we don't have to bother Bones with any of this".  
"Don't you consider Mr. Chekov a liability in case of an emergency?" Spock pressed the matter.  
"No!" Jim was a little offended by that, "I would trust that guy with my life". Spock raised an eyebrow at his captain.  
"He's coming with us" Jim said determinedly and briskly walked off the bridge to make his own preparations.  
"And you're coming too" he called back to Spock.

* * *

The Engineering deck was buzzing like a beehive when Jim arrived there. All around people were making preparations for the expedition.

Scotty was seeing to it that the shuttle was being prepared properly, Bones was loading a bunch of basic medical supplies (just in case) into the shuttle and Chekov was choosing some weapons they would be bringing. Even though it was an uninhabited planet, it was a Starfleet-regulation that every officer on a mission was armed.

"Jim!" Bones hailed over the captain, "do you really need me on this mission? See, I have a lot of work to do, and isn't there someone else who can take my place?" The doctor had actually been supposed to come along on this mission, but had not yet been informed on the change of plans.  
"Don't worry, Bones" Jim answered, "Mr. Chekov will accompany us on this mission. You're off duty for this one". Bones stared at Jim with a frown on his face.  
"Don't tell me that you're not trusting Chekov either?!" Jim said, giving Bones a disapproving look. "Oh, I trust him. He's proven himself more than enough in the entire Khan-thing and that time you crashed the Enterprise on that unidentified planet" Bones answered with the usual chagrin in his voice. Jim made a face at him because of the last remark.  
"No, I'm concerned about this mission in general" Bones continued.  
"Why?" Jim asked in surprise, "it's the simplest mission we've ever had. We are only ordered to take this on because we are in the area anyway. Otherwise they would've given it to some cadets just out of the academy".  
"Every time Starfleet says 'uninhabited' or 'abandoned', it turns out something or someone dangerous lives there after all" Bones said jokingly, but Jim knew that his worries were real.  
"Don't worry about it" Jim clasped Bones on the shoulder, "we'll be fine. And if it turns out someone or something is living there: we've handled a lot worse".  
"Yeah, well, don't make me revive you with some murderous lunatic's blood again" Bones grumbled. Jim laughed out loud at him.  
"I promise" he snorted, "I'll bring you a souvenir instead".

Jim left to board the shuttle, and Boned stared after his captain and best friend. He didn't know exactly why he felt this way, Jim's reasoning regarding this mission was sound, but still the worry nagged at him and somehow he had a very bad feeling about this. He watched Spock and Chekov enter the shuttle too and the door closing behind them.  
"Just watch yourselves" Bones muttered to himself.

* * *

The flight to the planet was only a short one. It was 15 minutes after their departure from the Enterprise, that the wheels of the shuttle already made contact with the surface of the planet. Their surroundings were rocky with red sand and a lot of craters and low mountain-like formations. It reminded Jim somewhat of Mars.

"Shuttle One has landed" Jim said into the radio once the engines were shut off, "we're going outside. Switching to mobile".  
"Roger that, captain" Sulu's voice answered him.

"Okay, listen up" Jim addressed Spock and Chekov, "as per Starfleet-regulation we will take two weapons each. The planet is uninhabited according to the information we've been given, but we must stay focused. There could be wild animals and maybe even people on this planet who do not belong here. If we are engaged in a battle we will defend ourselves, but we do not make the first move. We only attack when we are _being_ attacked". Jim's gaze lingered on Chekov. The young Russian picked up two phasers and tucked them away safely, before looking up at his captain and nodding determinedly.  
"Good" Jim muttered with a reassuring smile.

The three of them disembarked and stepped out into the open air. It was quite cold outside, like they had predicted, and they all pulled the collars of their coats up against the icy wind.  
"According to our mission parameters, we are supposed to clear the south side of the planet" Spock said, checking the documents regarding their mission, "that would be roughly from our current location to 40 kilometers in a northeast direction. The rest of the planet has been declared uninhabitable". He made a gesture with his hand in the direction they were meant to go.  
"Alright, let's start walking" Jim said, "and remember: keep a watchful eye for things that shouldn't be here".

* * *

They had been walking for three hours straight. The rocky surface made their progress quite slow, and made that they were not even halfway through the area that had to be cleared.  
Spock walked in front, vigilant as ever, followed by Jim and, lastly, Chekov. The Russian had fallen a little behind, losing his footing regularly on the stones protruding from the earth.  
"You alright?" Jim called over his shoulder after a particularly bad stumble from the young man.  
"Yes, captain" Chekov answered. He sounded out of breath, but definitely cheery. "It is nice to be off the ship, captain" he continued. Jim smiled to himself. Really nothing could bring Chekov's spirits down.

Jim suddenly almost walked into Spock. He had to place his hands on Spock's back to prevent himself from actually colliding with his First Officer.  
"What's wrong?" Jim asked. The Vulcan had stopped on the edge of quite a deep crater and did not answer.  
"Spock, what's wro..." Jim started to repeat, but as soon as he peeked over the edge, he knew why Spock had stopped dead in his tracks.  
"Oh, shit..." Jim mumbled. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Spock now and looked horror-stricken into the crater. This was bad…

Jim's mind immediately raced over possible solutions, but he reached the only conclusion that there was. It was too late for himself and Spock to get away, but Chekov was still out of sight of the crater.

"Chekov?" Jim hissed over his shoulder to the ensign who was still climbing the crater wall a few meters behind him.  
"Captain?" Chekov stopped to answer hesitantly. He had only now noticed that Jim and Spock were not moving, and the tone of his captain's voice told him something was not right.  
"Run" Jim mumbled controledly, just loud enough for the Russian to hear, "run, and hide. Tell the Enterprise that Starfleet was wrong, the planet is _not_ abandoned".  
"What?" Chekov took a step closer to Jim and Spock, but a slight hand-gesture from his captain told him not to come any closer.  
"Captain, I don't underst..." Chekov began. He started to feel truly uneasy now and a hint of panic was rising up in his chest.  
"NOW!" Jim yelled the command with all his might.

Immediately, Chekov could hear at least a dozen running footsteps, even though Jim and Spock stood still and it became agonizingly clear to him that something was very, very wrong.

The young Russian did not wait for what was to come and turned on his heels. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, leaving his superiors behind him….

* * *

 **Thanks all for reading. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! Next one will be up a.s.a.p.  
** **All reviews are highly appreciated ;-)**


	2. Chapter 2

Spock had been in front the whole way. He had been vigilant all the time: looking around for signs of disturbances that shouldn't be there and listening for sounds that were not right. But still he had missed this…. How could it be that he missed _this_?

He set foot on the edge of a next crater and immediately knew he had made a gigantic mistake.

From a few meters below, six heavily armed Klingons were staring back at him and further down the crater at least two dozen more could be seen.  
The presence of the Starfleet-officers had clearly not eluded these intruders, for their weapons were raised and aimed with deadly accuracy.

Spock froze the moment he lay eyes on the Klingons. He knew that, no matter what they did, they could never outrun this. His Vulcan realism made that he knew that there was no getting away from this. If they tried, they would most definitely end up dead or at least seriously injured.

Spock felt Jim's hands on the back of his shoulders to keep from running into the Vulcan. The captain had stepped into the view of the Klingons now too, and half of the weapons switched their aim from Spock to Jim.  
"What's wro…" Jim began, but stopped halfway through the question. He followed the direction of Spock's gaze and immediately knew what was wrong.  
"Oh…" he breathed out softly.

Jim's mind immediately started to race over possible ways of escape, but he, too, realized that they would most definitely be taken prisoner. So, for now the best thing to do was cooperate.  
Behind Jim sounded a stumble and that was when his mind fed him the only possibility there was.  
"Chekov?" He hissed over his shoulder, holding up a hand behind his back to prevent Chekov from coming any closer. The Russian said something, but Jim was not really listening to him. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the Klingons standing just meters away from him.  
"Run" Jim continued in a low voice, "run, and hide. Tell the Enterprise that Starfleet was wrong, the planet is not abandoned". Chekov protested again.  
"Now!" Jim screamed the last word.

Jim's sudden outburst was the starting signal the Klingons had been waiting for. They advanced on the captain and his first officer, weapons raised and yelling in their own, harsh language. Neither Jim nor Spock understood what was being said to them, but it sure were no birthday invitations.

Jim raised his hands in the air. Even though they did not speak each other's language, these Klingons would surely understand this sign of surrender.  
"We do not pose a threat" Spock said calmly, following Jim's example and holding his hands above his head. If the Vulcan was afraid, his voice and posture certainly did not betray it.

The Klingons did not respond well to Spock talking to them. They yelled more menacingly now and approached even faster. Their phasers were held just a few feet from the two men.  
"Spock?" Jim said, "I think it is better that we shut up".  
"But we do not pose a threat to them, they should be aware of that" Spock answered.  
"I don't think they care about that" Jim said a little mockingly. The Klingons had stepped well within range of their punches by now, but Jim decides against that. If this turned into a fight, he and Spock would be spectacularly outnumbered. It would be tantamount to suicide

Suddenly, one of the Klingons cocked back the phaser he was holding and took a more serious aim at Spock.  
"Whoa! Stop this!" Jim intervened, stepping in between Spock and the weapon. The Klingon changed his aim to Jim and did not hesitate at all.  
The trigger was pulled in the blink of an eye and Jim felt himself get hit in the shoulder. He fell to his knees with a grunt, grabbing at the injury. Warm blood was rapidly staining his fingers crimson already.  
"Captain!" the tone of Spock's voice was the closest it would probably ever come to fear. In the sudden turmoil, the Vulcan saw his chance and quickly slung his arm around the closest Klingon's throat. Spock took a strangling hold and struggled to keep his grip. The rest of the Klingons aimed their phasers at him now, yelling and gesturing violently.  
"Spock, no" Jim groaned through gritted teeth, "you'll get yourself killed".  
Jim had not even fully uttered the words, before another shot resonated through the air. For the second time that day, Spock froze on the spot. A sharp pain spread through his right side and ribs, and he crumpled to the ground next to Jim. He, too, had been hit and wounded.

The Klingons made their move and quickly seized the stricken Captain and First Officer, dragging them away. Away, to an unknown faith…

* * *

Chekov had known something was seriously wrong when the captain had yelled at him to run. The captain never yelled his orders in that way. In fact, Chekov had never before heard him speak like that in _any_ situation. Not even when they had had Khan on their ship or when Captain Pike had been killed.

That was why the Russian realized that this mission had gone awry.  
He ran as fast as his legs and the rocky ground permitted him to go. As soon as he believed to be a safe distance away, he dived behind a large boulder and carefully peered around it to what the danger had been.  
Chekov muttered a Russian curse under his breath. He could see Jim on his knees on the ground, clearly supporting an injured shoulder, and Spock was wrestling with something that looked utterly much like a Klingon.

The sound of a gunshot rang through the air, making Chekov duck back behind the cover of the boulder. It took him a few seconds before he dared to move and venture a peek again. He cautiously stood up just high enough to look with one eye around the large stone.  
"No…" he mumbled, fear truly gripping at him now. Spock was on his knees next to the captain, sporting what looked like a wound to his side.  
Ever more Klingons kept appearing over the edge of the crater and roughly pulled both men to their feet, quickly dragging them away.

Any hope Chekov might have still had, was being hauled away along with his friends. He allowed himself to sink to the ground behind the boulder, back against the stone. He buried his face in his hands and gripped at his hair. Slowly rocking back and forth, he was trying to clear his mind and come up with a plan.  
"What can I do?" he mumbled miserably to himself. He was alone, on an unknown planet, with Klingon-intruders who had not only wounded, but also captured his captain and first officer. The safety of the Enterprise was nowhere near at this moment and even getting back to the shuttle would be dangerous. He did not know how many more Klingons there were on this planet and where their hideout was, so he would be in constant danger of being discovered.  
"But I have to..." he mumbled to himself. There had been no time to fit him out with any means of communication before going on the mission and, frankly, they had not expected to be needing it. So, yes, the only thing that remained for him was getting back to the shuttle. It was his only chance of contacting the Enterprise and ask for help.

Chekov waited until the sounds of the Klingons and their prisoners had faded and the howling wind was all that remained. He carefully rose to his feet to make sure there was truly no one else there anymore. When he was certain that he was alone, he made a run for it...

* * *

Bones was never worry-free when Jim was not by his side on the Enterprise. He had gotten too accustomed to his friend ending up in his ward whenever he had been on a mission. So, no matter how simple this expedition was supposed to be, Bones would be able to sit a lot easier when Jim set foot back on the Enterprise in one piece.

Like all Starfleet personnel, Jim and the rest of the crew wore sensors in their uniforms that kept track of their vital signs. Bones always kept a close eye on Jim's frequency whenever the captain was not in his vicinity. It had become like a second nature to him with a friend prone to injuries and attracting dangerous situations.

It was because of this habit of his that Bones was among the first to know that was very wrong…

He was finishing up some reports when an alarm on his PADD started blaring. It was unmistakably the alarm that warned for a medical emergency with one of the Enterprise's crew members.

With a feeling of foreboding, Bones picked up his PADD and tapped on the pop-up of the warning. Like he had been expecting, Jim's vitals appeared on his screen and they were way off…  
The captain's blood pressure and heart rate were far too high for this 'safe' mission and those warnings were suddenly joined by a new one: blood loss. This last warning did not go off for just a bloody nose, so the loss of blood must be significant.  
"My God" Bones mumbled darkly, when the same warnings for Spock's vitals lit up his screen.

Bones jumped to his feet, his own heart racing now too, and quickly tapped in the command that would bring up Chekov's vitals. The Russian's heart rate and blood pressure were also quite high, but there were no warnings for anything more dangerous. Whatever had happened, Chekov at least still appeared to be uninjured.

Bones knew this was serious and that this simple mission had turned for the worst. He ran off the medical ward and to the nearest turbolift that would take him to the bridge. This had to be reported _now_.  
A new alarm dragged Bones' eyes momentarily to his PADD again. The warning was regarding Jim. 'Loss of consciousness', it read in red flashing letters on the device in his hands.

"Jesus Christ, Jim" Bones passed a hand over his worried face, as he impatiently waited for the lift to take him to the bridge, "what have you gotten yourself into now?"

* * *

 **Firstly: thank you all for the lovely reviews, favs and follows. Hope you enjoyed this second chapter too. The next one will be up a.s.a.p.  
Reviews are highly appreciated ;-)**


	3. Chapter 3

Somewhere along the way Jim must have lost consciousness, for he was awoken by a bucket of water being thrown over him. He shook his head to rid himself of the liquid and wearily opened his eyes. The water stung the wound to his shoulder and he winced audibly as a result of it. When he tried to move his arms, he was startled by the rattling sound of chains.

Jim now fully opened his eyes to take in his surroundings. He was lying on a hard, rocky floor in near complete darkness. The shirt and coat he had been wearing earlier were gone, leaving him with a bare torso. Heavy manacles attached to chains were binding his wrists, thus explaining the sound that had startled him. Spock was not by his side.

Jim sat upright to peer into the darkness, and could just distinguish the silhouette of a person, standing a few feet away from him.  
"Who's there?" Jim called out into the nothingness, "Spock, is that you?"  
"No questions" the answer came sternly and it was definitely not Spock. The person spoke harshly, with a heavy accent and the English sounded broken, like it was not his mother's tongue.  
"Who are you?" Jim tried.  
"I say: no questions" the person answered again, but this time it sounded more like a low growl.  
"I don't care" Jim retorted immediately, "where's Spock? What have you done to him?"

A light switched on in one of the corners of the room, bathing it in a dim light. Jim realized with a shock that he was face to face with the Klingons that had captured them, of which one apparently spoke English.  
"Why you here?" the English-speaking Klingon said. Jim pressed his lips together and stared back with a hard glare, but he would not answer.  
"Why you here?" the Klingon repeated the question, "what do you know?" Still Jim did not utter a word.

The Klingons started conversing in their own harsh language now. Jim did not understand a word that was being said, but somehow he had the feeling that they were discussing something that would not be pleasant for him.  
Suddenly, one of the Klingons turned on his heels and disappeared from the room, while a second one retreated behind Jim into a patch of darkness that the light did not  
over. Jim tried to look around at where he had gone, but was not able to see or hear anything.

"Who are you?" Jim turned back to the English-speaking Klingon who still stood in front of him, "you are holding me hostage, a decorated Starfleet-officer and captain of the USS Enterprise. I have a right to know who I'm speaking to!" Jim had risen to his feet by now and made himself as tall as possible.  
The answer took a while to follow. "Ukrat!" The Klingon suddenly spat the name back at Jim.  
"Now tell me where my first officer is" Jim demanded.  
"No" Ukrat answered without moving a muscle, "why is Starfleet on this planet?"  
"That's none of your business" Jim said strongly.  
"Tell me" Ukrat continued.  
"No, you're getting nothing from me" Jim kept his resolve.

Ukrat shouted a few words in Klingon to someone out of Jim's sight.  
Jim did not know what had been said, but the effect of the words was instantaneous. The rattling of chains through rings in the ceiling sounded from either side of him, and suddenly Jim was roughly pulled backwards by the manacles around his wrists. He managed to keep his footing, but screamed out as his arms were pulled wide and the muscles and tendons in his shoulders protested to being stretched so far. The flesh of his already injured shoulder ripped further and the wound started to bleed anew.

The chains rendered Jim quite powerless and with little to no possibility to move.  
Ukrat watched with a menacing hint of a smile on his face. One of his companions handed him something as he took a few steps closer to Jim, their faces only inches apart now.  
"Why. You. Here?" Ukrat emphasized every word of the question, "how you find us?"  
"You won't get me to talk" Jim answered determinedly. He wasn't quite sure what Ukrat was after. In fact, they had just accidentally wandered into these Klingons and had had no idea that there even was someone on this planet until they bumped into them. Still, somehow, Jim had a distinct feeling that any information he would give these Klingons regarding Starfleet, was already way too much. Something told him that this particular group of Klingons had an aversion of Starfleet that was more than usual among their kind.

Ukrat smiled an even meaner smile at the captain's unwillingness to give up information and appeared to be turning away. Jim almost sighed in relief, when suddenly Ukrat turned back fast and stomped his fist into the captain's side.  
Jim doubled over, coughing violently and groaning audibly. His knees buckled from under him, but he was kept somewhat standing by the manacles and chains. He was certain he had heard at least one rib crack and was left gasping for breath.  
"Tell me" Ukrat stood over Jim, "tell me what Starfleet knows. How did you find us?"  
"No" Jim managed to say between two gasps.  
"It is easier you tell us" Ukrat continued, the menace in his voice growing with every word, "we will force you".  
"Then force me" Jim said, determination sparkling in his eyes. He realized that his decisions meant a whole lot of pain was coming his way, but he would _not_ be the captain that ratted out Starfleet or endangered his own or other ships' crews. No, he would remain silent. No matter what they would do to him…

"You did this to yourself" Ukrat answered softly and for the first time the object he had been handed came into view. Jim was just able to suppress a gasp. Panic flooded his body as he saw it and truly realized what must be in store for him… 

* * *

Bones ran onto the bridge as soon as the doors of the turbolift opened wide enough for him to squeeze through.

"Sulu!" Bones came to a skidding stop in front of the acting captain.  
"Doctor McCoy?" Sulu was surprised to see the tall man rushing onto the bridge, "what's the matter?"  
"Something's gone wrong, something's happened" Bones said and handed Sulu the PADD which still blared with alarms for the vitals of both Jim and Spock. Sulu took one look at the device and knew that the doctor was more than right.

"Lieutenant Uhura" he turned in his seat to be able to look at her, "check the captain's comm systems, please".  
"Yes, sir" Uhura instantly set to work. She was flipping switches and pushing buttons until she should have a line of communication ready.  
"Enterprise to captain Kirk" she said into the communications device, but it stayed eerily quiet on the other side.  
"Enterprise to captain Kirk" she tried again. She waited for a little while, but still no response followed. Uhura flipped a next series of switches to try something else.  
"Enterprise to Commander Spock" she now said, but also on that line everything remained quiet.

Sulu and Bones watched her work in silent anticipation. Every second that passed without a line of communication to their captain or first officer only confirmed their most gruesome fears. Something had happened to them...

"I can't reach them" Uhura finally confirmed to them, "their comms are down".  
"What about Chekov?" Bones suggested. Sulu sighed deeply before he answered.  
"It was not supposed to be a mission where we would need that" he said, "Jim and Spock have their usual communications systems on them, but we didn't fit Chekov out with anything. Communications to two persons in the mission would have been more than enough".  
"Well, that sucks" Bones commented.

In the meantime, Uhura was still trying to get into contact with someone on the planet's surface.  
"Wait..." she suddenly sounded both excited and a little relieved. She pressed her hand against her earpiece and listened with all her might. An audible sob escaped her, and Bones and Sulu inched closer to her to be able to listen in too.  
Uhura looked up at them, tears glistening in her eyes as she spoke into their communication system. "Yes, Shuttle One, this is the Enterprise"… 

* * *

Chekov ran back all the miles they had already covered. He fell several times due to the rocky and uneven ground, scraping open his knees and elbows in the process and he was pretty sure that he sprained one of his wrists in a particularly hard fall. It didn't stop him, though. He _had_ to make it back to the shuttle. It was the only place where he would be able to hail the Enterprise and inform them of this dire situation.

He finally dived into the last crater in which they had landed the shuttle. He slid down the crater-wall, adding just another deep cut to his forearm in the process. Chekov clambered into the spaceship as fast as he could and scrambled over to the controls. He hastily tapped on the keys of the board computer to open the line of contact to the mother ship. But before he could say anything into the communications device, a woman's voice was already calling out to him.

 _"Enterprise to shuttle one_ " it sounded from the device.

"Lieutenant Uhura!" Chekov cried out the name, "is that really you?! Is this the Enterprise?!"  
"Yes, Shuttle One, this is the Enterprise" Uhura's voice came.  
 _"Bozhe moi!"_ Chekov blurted out, "I need help! The captain and the Commander were taken by Klingons! Starfleet was wrong, this planet is not abandoned!" An answer did not follow immediately. Most likely this information had shaken people up on the bridge and they were rapidly going into a state of red alert.

"Mr. Chekov, this is Sulu" the acting captain finally sounded over the comm, "stay in the shuttle, we are assembling a rescue team at this very moment. We have tracked the shuttle's location and will be with you as soon as we can".  
"Please, sir, hurry" Chekov answered and for the first time his voice truly showed the fear he was feeling inside, "the captain and the commander…. they were shot by the Klingons..."  
"Do you have more details about their injuries?" Bones now mingled in the conversation as well.  
"No..." Chekov said softly, "but it did not look good, sir…." 

* * *

**Thanks for reading again. All reviews, favs and follows are still highly appreciated :-)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Spock had trouble keeping his footing. The wound to his side was bleeding quite severely and it was weakening him rapidly. Flashes of pain kept shooting up through his abdomen and all he wanted to do was lie down. The Klingons, however, kept pushing him forward and did not let him rest.  
Spock looked around at Jim, who was being dragged by two of their captors. The captain had lost consciousness when he had struggled against the Klingons' iron grip on him and had been shoved a bit too roughly to the ground. That was certainly fifteen minutes ago, but he had not awoken yet and this worried Spock.

The Klingons led their two prisoners into what appeared to be a cave. The entrance to it was hidden in yet another red-sanded crater. Inside the cave was a stone staircase that winded down, deep underground, into several levels of dark and damp corridors. The icy wind did not blow here, but still it was quite cold.

Once they had reached the deepest of the underground levels, Spock was pushed into a niche in the wall, which was sealed off with steel bars and guarded by two heavily armed Klingons. Jim was dragged further down the corridor and disappeared from view. Spock pressed his face against the bars in an attempt to see what was happening to his captain, but the darkness and a corner in the corridor prevented him from doing so.  
"Where are you taking him?" he called out, but no answer was provided.

A sharp pain suddenly shot through Spock's abdomen again and he fell backwards onto the ground, gasping for breath. The gunshot appeared to have done some serious damage to his body, but there was nothing that could be done about that now. The wound most likely required some form of surgery and the Klingons would surely never provide that.

Spock could already imagine the face of Doctor McCoy when they would return to the Enterprise and his and Jim's injuries would be revealed. That is, _if_ they ever made it back to the Enterprise alive. He had to be realistic: their situation looked very bleak right now and he just hoped that he would not bleed out before help arrived…

"Hurry, Mr. Chekov" Spock mumbled to himself, before he, too, faded away into unconsciousness. 

* * *

Jim gasped inaudibly when Ukrat brought the weapon up into his view.

What Ukrat had been handed before was a large baseball bat-like weapon with extremely sharp spikes all over it. He held it up menacingly before Jim's eyes, so the captain could have a nice, long look at the weapon.  
Jim tried to back away a little, but his arms had been stretched to their very limits now by the chains and he could move no further.

Ukrat slowly moved to stand behind Jim. "Last chance" the Klingon growled.  
Jim ground his teeth together in preparation for the pain he knew was about to come, but he had no intention of changing his mind. He was _never_ going to give up any information, no matter what these Klingons would do to him. He was captain of a Starfleet-spaceship and he would do everything to protect his crew and the organization as a whole. Even if it would cost him his life.  
"No" Jim's voice sounded strained and he automatically tensed up all the muscles in his body.

Without any advance warning, Ukrat gave the bat a mighty swing and bashed it hard on Jim's back.  
The blow alone would have hurt terribly, but the spikes made it so much worse. They bit into Jim's flesh, ripped it apart and tore excruciatingly at him. His vertebrae groaned and protested from he strain they had to take, while his nerves and muscles screamed the pain throughout his body.  
Jim tried not to make a sound, he would not do Ukrat that pleasure, but he was not completely able to stifle a grunt in pain.

It was like Ukrat had been unleashed in a rage now. He brought the bat down on Jim again, and again, and again…. And again.  
With every blow, Jim wondered how much more he could take. He had never experienced this much pain in his life, and he had definitely had his fair share of severe and painful injuries. He had broken bones on several occasion, battled with many a foe and suffered God knows how many cuts and bruises. Hell, he had even died once! But this was nothing like any of that. This was so much worse...

Jim lost count after the eleventh blow. The pain was consuming him and he was struggling to remain conscious. By now, he was not even trying to suppress his outings of pain anymore. Every blow that landed on his back, was answered by a scream or a grunt from him.  
He could feel the blood drip down his back. It was a nasty feeling of a never-ending stream of warm liquid, combined with an excruciating pain, and flesh and skin that was beaten to a pulp.  
Jim was breathing fast and unevenly, close to hyperventilating and the oxygen he was inhaling did not quite seem to reach his lungs. Combined with the pain and the loss of blood, it made his mind foggy.

"Why are you here? How you find us?" Ukrat yelled the questions now, his face only inches from Jim's. The captain did not answer. His chin rested on his chest and tried with all his might to keep his knees from buckling. He felt Ukrat's hard gaze bore into him, trying to pry the answer from his weak form. Jim, however, remained unwavering and silently shook his head.

When Ukrat realized that the Starfleet captain was still not going to tell him what he wanted to know, he moved to stand behind his prisoner again. Jim closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. He did not know how much more of a beating he would be able to take before his body would give out on him.  
Ukrat raised the spiked bat in the air again and struck it down with immense force across the top of Jim's shoulders.

Jim had been prepared for this new blow, but the pain was still so intense that he whimpered loudly. He failed to keep his knees supporting him. They buckled from under him and he was hanging with his full weight on his chained wrists now, the manacles cutting into his flesh. His breath stuttered a few times and his vision began to blur and darken. He realized that he was no longer able to hold on and he had to give in now.

Jim blew out a deep breath and welcomed the vast emptiness of unconsciousness…

Ukrat walked around to Jim's front and lifted the captain's head by the chin. He prodded the man a few times, but no reaction followed. When he was certain that Jim's loss of consciousness was real, and not feigned, Ukrat let go of the captain and gave a quick swish of his hand to his comrades.  
One of the other Klingons jumped into action. He pulled a key out of his pocket and disappeared into the dark part of the room. The unlocking of a lock could be heard, followed by a rapid rattling sound. The chains that bound Jim came loose from their rings in the ceiling and the young man crumpled to the ground, where he lay in a heap of motionless and bloody person... 

* * *

The entire crew of the Enterprise was in a state of high alert by now. Everyone was running around and assisting in every possible way to quickly send off the rescue mission.  
Scotty was preparing the second shuttle for departure, Sulu assembled the crew-members that would travel to the planet and Uhura was overseeing the loading of weapons onto the shuttle.

Bones stood in the middle of all the hustle and bustle, staring horror-struck at the PADD in his hands. Jim's and Spock's vitals had gone from bad to worse. He was notified that Spock had lost consciousness, and Jim's vitals were closing in on life-threatening by now.

"Mr. Sulu" Bones addressed the acting captain as he passed.  
"What can I do for you, doctor?" Sulu asked.  
"I am coming with you on this mission" Bones said. The tone of his voice was determined and left little to no room for argument.  
"You are not trained for combat, Doctor" Sulu answered.  
"No, and I don't intend on fighting" Bones grumbled back, "Dammit, man, I intend to save the lives of two of our key crew members".  
Seeing that Sulu still clearly hesitated to give his permission, Bones pressed the PADD into the acting captain's hands.  
"That reads life-threatening" Bones regarded Jim's vitals, "he will be in need of immediate medical care the moment we find him. And if Spock keeps deteriorating like he has done the past few minutes, then he will be as well". Sulu was still not fully ready to agree and was visibly struggling with the decision.  
"The captain has only one doctor, Mr. Sulu" Bones stated firmly now, "I am going with you, whether you like it or not". 

* * *

**Thanks again for reading! Next chapter will be up again a.s.a.p.  
** **All reviews, favs and follows are still highly appreciated ;-)**


	5. Chapter 5

The wait for the rescuers to arrive felt like ages to Chekov. He had hidden in the shuttle the best he could, but if the Klingons would come looking for him here, he was quite certain they would find him in a heartbeat. So, yeah, he was not at all at ease.

Chekov sat hunched in a corner of the shuttle, hidden from sight by a chair and a part of the control panel. He had his back pressed against the wall, fidgeting with his hands uncontrollably and muttering constantly in Russian.  
A clock on the shuttle's control board told him that it was almost 45 minutes ago since he had spoken to the Enterprise. Sulu had told him that they had been able to lock onto his location and that the rescue mission would be there as soon as possible. Still, Chekov knew that arranging and preparing the mission would take time and it could therefore easily be another while before anyone got to him and he would be safe.

It was impossible to tell whether Chekov had truly escaped the Klingons unseen. There still was a very real chance that they had noticed him run away and that he would have been followed here to the shuttle. He pressed his back even harder against the wall and made himself as small as he could. There was no denying that he was mortified. Images kept passing his mind's eye of Jim and Spock injured on the ground. How would they be now? Were they even still alive? What would happen to him if the Klingons did find him here? What would they do to him then?  
Chekov shook his head to rid himself of those ominous thoughts. He focused his eyes on the clock instead and watched the time tick away.  
"Please, hurry, Mr. Sulu…" he whispered to himself, as one single tear rolled down his cheek. 

* * *

Spock was lying on his back when he came to. At first he could not determine where he was or what had happened. The sounds around him were different from usual: persons were talking in a strange language, the air felt cold and there was a damp smell all around. This was certainly not the Enterprise.

Spock racked his brain and the events of earlier that day slowly started to return to him. Their 'simple' mission, the Klingons, his own injury, Jim unconscious and injured…  
"Jim" Spock muttered under his breath. He slowly tried to sit up, but found that this movement was way too painful. He seized his attempt after the first try and opened his eyes to look up at the rocky ceiling above him.  
"Jim?" Spock called out softly again. He remembered that the captain had been dragged away from him, but perhaps they had ended up within earshot of each other sometime during his unconsciousness. But, like he had already been expecting, there was no answer from his friend.

Spock very carefully rolled himself onto his uninjured side to have a better view of the goings-on outside his makeshift cell. The movement was agony and he couldn't help but whimper in pain a few times, but finally he managed to end up in the desired position. He closed his eyes momentarily to recover somewhat from the agonizing movements and catch his breath.

"Up" the word sounded like a growled order. Spock immediately opened his eyes again and propped himself up on one elbow. The pain of a moment ago and of this new movement was instantly forgotten, when he realized to be face to face with a Klingon. This particular one appeared to be their leader and apparently spoke English.  
"Up" Ukrat repeated.  
"Where's the captain?" Spock said, trying not to let the pain sound through in his voice.  
"You work for Starfleet too?" Ukrat asked.  
"Affirmative" Spock said, "and as First Officer of the USS Enterprise, I demand that you take me to my captain right away". A foul smile spread across Ukrat's face and it bared his yellow, rotten teeth. The Klingon nodded his head once, but that smile never wavered. Spock knew there would be a catch here somewhere. It was unlikely that his demands would be granted so easily, but as long as it led him to Jim, he didn't mind anything much.

Spock reached out to the bars of his cell and used them to hoist himself to his feet. It was a giant effort and it took a lot of willpower, but finally he stood unsteadily and in danger of collapsing again at any moment.

Ukrat stared hard at the Vulcan for a few seconds, before shouting something to his comrades.  
Two Klingons jumped forward, removed a few of the bars and each grabbed one of Spock's arms. They dragged the Vulcan away around the corner in the corridor, to where Jim had disappeared earlier as well.

Spock was constantly on the verge of passing out again from the pain. The Klingons dragged him forward faster than his weakened body could cope with, but he willed himself to stay awake. He had to know where Jim was and whether his captain was still alive. Something told him that these Klingons had not been particularly friendly to his friend…

Spock was dragged to a dark part of the corridor, where an iron gate was held open for them to pass through. The Vulcan was roughly shoved inside a room and immediately fell to his knees. The pain of his wound made that his legs refused to carry his weight any longer and he crumpled to the floor.  
Even in the dim lighting of the room, Spock could already see that his worst fears had come true. Jim was lying on the other side of the room, unmoving and covered in blood. It was clear that the captain was severely injured, as nearly his entire back was one giant, open wound. Not even to mention the gunshot wound he had suffered at the moment of their incarceration.  
The only light in the room was being reflected in quite a large pool of Jim's blood. It was impossible to tell from this distance whether or not the young man was still alive…

Spock swallowed hard. He had been through many ordeals with his captain and had seen him get hurt many times before, but this felt different… This felt like the time he had had to watch his friend die on the other side of a glass door. Not able to save him, not able to do anything. Powerless….  
"Jim..." it frightened Spock how choked up his own voice sounded. Jim, however, remained completely unmoving and silent. Spock closed his eyes and remained seated on his knees. For once, he was lost for what to do. There was not one regulation, Starfleet or Vulcan, that told him how to act in this kind of situation, or how to deal with what he was feeling.

Suddenly, the sound of a phaser loading was heard behind him. Spock turned his head just far enough to see the Klingon-leader with the weapon aimed at his back.  
"Will you tell me what I want to know?" Ukrat said.  
"No" Spock answered determinedly. Jim had surely given the same reply and Spock would show this resolve too. He heard the phaser lock behind him upon his answer, ready to strike down the Vulcan at any moment.  
"Know the consequence" Ukrat growled.  
"Do it" Spock mumbled the words, but his voice still carried through the room, "my captain did not provide the information and neither will I". He stared sadly at Jim's severely injured form. The pool of blood around the captain was still growing larger and not a muscle in his body had moved. Spock feared that Jim had stopped breathing by now, because he was not able to determine any rise and fall of the young man's chest.  
"Shoot me" the Vulcan mumbled in defeat, "it doesn't make a difference anymore".  
"As you wish" Ukrat answered darkly.

The sound of the phaser going off resonated of the rocky walls and the room was shortly lit up by the flash of light. Spock screamed out as he was hit in the back, right between his shoulder blades. He was propelled forward by the force of the hit and slammed into the ground. He never even knew how his body came into harsh contact with the rocks, for his world had already gone black...

The floor of the room was staining rapidly with the blood of both the captain and the first officer of the USS Enterprise. Crimson and emerald blood were ominously painting the ground and sinking into the sandy parts.  
Neither of the two men was moving, but both of them were desperately trying to cling on to life… 

* * *

Bones had never really enjoyed the shuttle rides from and to the Enterprise. He usually sat nervously in his seat, willing the stupid thing to go faster and let him out again.  
Today, however, was different. He wasn't paying any attention to the fact that he was in a shuttle and was being flown to an unknown planet. The PADD in his hand still blared all kinds of warnings for both Spock and Jim, and that was the only thing he had eyes for.

"Any news, Doctor McCoy?" Sulu called over his shoulder. He and Uhura were flying the shuttle to its destination at breakneck speed.  
"Their conditions are deteriorating" Bones answered, "they're still holding on, but I'm not sure how much longer they'll be able to. Are we nearly there?".  
"ETA 1 minute" Uhura called back.

Scotty was seated next to Bones and was occasionally venturing a peek at the PADD in the doctor's hands. He did not have much medical knowledge, but even _he_ could tell that the numbers and graphics shown on the screen were not very promising.  
"It's not looking good, huh?" Scotty said softly. Bones shook his head.  
"No" he sighed, "and even if we find them in time, I'm worried about what I can still do". Scotty looked up at the doctor and a frown creased his brow.  
"I understand your worries, but you're the best doctor there is, laddie" he said, "you brought a man back from the dead, for god's sake! Now, there's not many doctors that can put that on their resume". Bones snorted miserably and passed a hand over his face.  
"That was different" he grumbled.  
"How's that different?!" Scotty immediately retorted.  
"It… well… I don't know" Bones was clearly struggling with the entire situation. Scotty turned in his seat somewhat and was looking straight at the doctor now.  
"We are going to that planet, laddie. We will kill those Klingons and rescue Jim and Spock" Scotty's determination was written clearly on his face now, "we're gonna take them back to the Enterprise, and you're gonna save their lives, like you always do". Bones gave the engineer something that must have resembled a short smile and sighed deeply before he answered.  
"I sincerely hope that you're not wrong..." 

* * *

**Thanks again for reading. Next chapter will be up again a.s.a.p.  
** **All reviews, favs and follows are still highly appreciated :-)  
**


	6. Chapter 6

Every second of sitting and waiting in that shuttle felt like an entire year to Chekov. He watched the time tick away excruciatingly slowly on the clock on the ship's control panel.  
That was why he knew that it was exactly one hour, nine minutes and twenty-seven seconds since he had last spoken to the Enterprise, when he first heard the distant roar of engines.

At first, Chekov believed his ears to be playing tricks on him. Just over an hour was quite fast for the Enterprise crew to set up a rescue mission and actually get to the planet.  
The sound of engines was unmistakably getting louder now and Chekov crawled slightly out of his hiding place. He was just about to rise to his feet, when an ominous thought popped into his mind. What if the Klingons _did_ know that he was on the planet too? What if they had ships and had started searching for him? What if they had actually found him?

Chekov sat back in his hiding place again, with his back pressed firmly against the wall. He was not going to take chances now and would wait until he was certain that the coast was clear.

The sound of engines had grown very loud, when suddenly it died down and there was near complete silence. Chekov listened with all his might for sounds from outside. Sounds that might tell him whether it was friend or foe that was there for him.  
He was too afraid to peek out of the window, fearing that he might betray himself to possible enemies, so he had to rely on his hearing alone. It sounded like someone was walking outside and the footsteps came closer, until a thudding sound told him that a person had set foot into the shuttle. Chekov held his breath and waited for the person to make a move.

"Laddie, where are you?" Scotty's voice rang through the small spaceship.  
"Mr. Scott!" Chekov jumped up and scrambled over to the engineer. He flung his arms around Scotty and hugged him tightly.  
"It's okay, laddie, you're safe" Scotty patted the young man somewhat awkwardly on the back.  
"Mr. Scott" Chekov released his embrace, "we need to find the captain and the commander, they are injured! The Klingons, they… they shot them… and the captain, he send me away! I… I should never have left them behind….I should not have listened to him..." Chekov was rambling now and Scotty noticed a distinct tremble in the young man's hands.  
"Hey" he stopped Chekov's rant by placing both hands on the young man's shoulders, "if you hadn't done what the captain told you to do, we might not have known about this until it was too late".  
"We might already be too late" Chekov mumbled.  
"No, you cannae think like that, laddie" Scotty encouraged him. Chekov looked quite lost and his eyes reflected fear and shock.  
"You haven't seen what I saw, Mr. Scott" the young Russian mumbled defeatedly. Scotty did not know what to say to that, so he flung one arm around Chekov's shoulders instead. It wasn't much, but he hoped that it would at least offer the young man some comfort.

"Is he in there?! Is he alright?" Uhura's voice came from outside, quickly followed by her entering the shuttle as well.  
"Aye" Scotty answered, "where's the doctor?"  
"Right here" Bones stepped onto the ramp that gained access to the aircraft, with Sulu entering close behind him.  
"Is he injured?" Bones continued.  
"A little" Scotty answered before Chekov could say anything, "just give him a short check, will you?"

Bones pointed Chekov to one of the seats. "Sit" he ordered the young man. Chekov did as he was told without protesting and quietly sat down. Sulu, Uhura and Scotty retreated to the other side of the shuttle to give the doctor and his patient some privacy.

Bones quickly took out the tricorder he had brought and scanned the Russian with it. His brow furrowed into its usual crease as he read the results the device was giving him.  
"Okay, your condition could be better, but nothing to worry about right now" he said, "that laceration on your arm looks quite deep, though. I'll bandage it now, but you need to get it checked over again once we get back to the Enterprise".  
"Aye aye, doctor" Chekov replied softly.

Bones quickly took care of the injury to Chekov's arm. He felt the young man tremble beneath his medical hands, as he wrapped a bandage around the limb.  
"Are you afraid?" Bones asked quietly. Chekov looked up at him and nodded his head slightly without speaking.  
"It's alright" Bones said with as much compassion as one would ever hear from him, "you did well today".  
"But the captain and the commander are still captured and injured" Chekov mumbled absently, "I failed to prevent that".  
"Don't beat yourself up over that" Bones threw in, "you would never have been able to take on those Klingons on your own. You did the only thing you could do. It was _right_ ". He emphasized that last word. Chekov looked up at the doctor again and gave him a tiny smile.  
"Come on" Bones had finished the bandage and held out a hand to Chekov to help him to his feet. The young Russian took it gratefully. His mind still seemed burdened by the events of earlier that day, but the short conversations with both Bones and Scotty had definitely lifted his spirits somewhat.

"Where exactly were the captain and Spock taken?" Sulu asked, walking back over to them. He, Scotty and Uhura had been discussing a plan of attack on the other side of the shuttle.  
"About three hours walk in a north-eastern direction from here" Chekov answered, "I will recognize the crater when I see it, sir".  
"How many Klingons?" Scotty asked.  
"I only saw five" Chekov said, "but I am certain there are more of them".  
"Undoubtedly" Bones grumbled darkly.  
"Alright" Sulu answered with a hefty sigh, "in a nutshell: we will fly our shuttle to the location you mentioned, search for the Klingons, take them out and rescue the captain and the commander".  
"Something tells me it will not be that simple" Scotty mumbled under his breath.  
"No, Mr. Scott" Sulu said, having heard the comment, "it will definitely _not_ be that simple..." 

* * *

Jim awoke slowly. His wounds were stinging and throbbing painfully, and he felt as if he had been run over by the Enterprise at Warp-speed. The ground he lay on was cold and damp. A cold that had crept into his bones and muscles to make his misery complete.

Jim slowly lifted his head off the ground just enough to have a look around the cell. He sighed softly in relief when he realized that there were no Klingons with him right now. His eye, however, did fall on a prone figure lying on the other end of the cell.  
"Spock?" Jim croaked, his throat feeling like sand-paper, "Spock, it that you?" An absent groan was the only answer that followed and the figure moved slightly. Even though the response was minimal, Jim recognized his first officer immediately.  
"Spock?" his voice was filled with concern now.  
"Captain?" Spock spoke with none of his usual authority or serenity. Instead he sounded weak and slightly out of breath.

Jim tried to drag himself closer to Spock to investigate on his first officer's condition. He stretched his arms out in front of him as far as they would go and gripped at the rocky ground to pull himself forward. The pain this caused was unbelievable, and he was whimpering and groaning in pain almost constantly. The tormented skin of his back ripped further in places and the wound to his shoulder was protesting painfully as well, but Jim did not give into it.  
Spock was lying on the other side of the cell and it cost Jim several minutes to finally be somewhat close to his friend. When he had managed to maneuver himself within two meters of the Vulcan, Jim collapsed back onto the floor. He was breathing hard and trying to cope with the incredible amount of pain. His head was spinning and he was on the verge of passing out again.

Spock slightly moved his head, so he was able to see eye to eye with his captain. The Vulcan did not look well: he was pale and sweat stood out on his face. He, too, was clearly struggling with the pain of his wounds.  
"Why did you bother with this movement, captain?" Spock asked softly, "you will only be tormenting yourself".  
"Oh, come off it, Spock" Jim breathed out, "I need to know that you're alright".  
"Negative, captain" Spock answered weakly, "I sustained some injuries".  
"Yeah, I see that" Jim said softly, "unfortunately, so have I..."  
"What happened to you, captain?" Spock spoke without raising his head from the floor and he had closed his eyes again.  
"They wanted to know why we were here" Jim answered. He allowed a short silence before he continued, "I refused to give them any information".  
"Captain, Starfleet Regulation dictates..." Spock began, his words starting to slur more and more.  
"I'm really not in the mood for that right now, Spock" Jim interrupted. He, too, grew weaker with every passing second.

There was silence for a little while between the two of them. Both lay with their eyes closed and struggling to remain conscious, their injuries threatening to take the best of them.  
"How are we going to get out of this one, Spock?" Jim mumbled out of the blue.  
"Our options are limited" Spock answered softly.  
"Limited?" Jim replied, "I don't see any options at all, to be honest".  
"It is likely that Mr. Chekov has been in contact with the Enterprise by now" Spock said. Jim did not respond immediately. His mind sluggishly went over the options they had left in case Chekov had _not_ made it back to shuttle to contact the Enterprise. Very quickly he realized that those options were actually non-existent.

Jim finally spoke in a weary and tired voice. "Let's just hope that he made it. He's our only hope..."

* * *

 **Apologies for the long wait on this next chapter... but I hope you enjoyed it!  
** **All reviews, favs and follows are still highly appreciated ;-)  
**


	7. Chapter 7

Bones stood staring out into the crater. The weapon in his hand felt alien and the icy wind blew the red sand painfully into his face. Behind him, Sulu was passing around the final instructions for the raid and the fight they knew they would be getting into.  
Chekov had indeed recognized the crater where the Klingons had been encountered first. Bones had already found blood on the sand, both crimson and emerald, confirming once again that Jim and Spock had been injured.

"Doctor McCoy" Bones was awoken from his train of thought by Sulu calling out to him. The acting captain stood a little to the side with Uhura, Scotty and Chekov, and was hailing the doctor over to them.

"We don't know much about our target" Sulu began once Bones had joined them, "we only know that the Klingons were in this crater when the captain and the commander were taken. It is unknown where their lair is, but since they were on foot, it can't be too far".  
"Do we know in which direction to look?" Bones asked.  
"A short scout gave us an indication" Sulu answered.  
"How do you propose we're gonna do this?" Scotty joined the conversation.  
"I will lead the combat unit" Sulu indicated a group of around twenty Enterprise personnel who had come on the mission too and who were specifically trained for situations like this.  
"Your only objective is to find the captain and the commander" Sulu continued to Scotty, Uhura, Bones and Chekov, "you will only engage in combat when forced to. In all other situations you leave it to us".  
"Captain, we can fight" Uhura threw in.  
"No" Sulu answered determinedly, "I want them found as soon as possible and I want to leave this planet the moment we can. These crew members are trained for situations like this. Let them handle it". The four of them nodded silently and agreed without further protest.

"Okay, let's go!" Sulu called out to his combat unit. The crew members held their weapons at the ready and started marching briskly into the crater. Scotty, Bones, Uhura and Chekov followed in a nervous silence. They kept a few meters distance, as they had been instructed by Sulu, but were nevertheless vigilant for possible attacks.

The group of Enterprise-crew walked for about 15 minutes, but still they had encountered nothing. Tracks had been found that clearly indicated in which direction the Klingons had gone, so they knew that they were at least going in the right direction. The tension among the group was almost tangible now. Every step they took must be getting them closer to the Klingon hide-out and the fight they knew was unavoidable.

Scotty cast a glance over at Bones as they walked in silence. The doctor was staring once again at his PADD with a look of utter worry etched on his face.  
"How's it looking?" Scotty asked the question, but he already knew the answer to it.  
"Bleak" Bones answered darkly.

Scotty was about to ask the doctor another question, when suddenly a bolt of light flashed just centimeters past his head. Everyone dived for cover behind some large rocks and the combat unit immediately responded with return fire. They quickly formed ranks and disappeared out of sight as they staged their attack. This was it, the Klingon lair had been found...  
"Stay down!" Sulu called back to Chekov, who had made a move to follow the combat unit, "do not follow us until we have cleared the entrance to their hideout! Wait for my signal!"  
Bones grabbed the collar of Chekov's jacket and pulled him back to the ground.  
"You heard him, stay down" the doctor grumbled.

Scotty, Uhura, Chekov and Bones remained hidden behind the rocks and listened to the firefight going on out of their sights... 

* * *

Jim and Spock had been silent for a long while. Neither of them knew whether the other one was even still conscious and both of them had not moved an inch.

"Jim..." Spock's voice was weak. Even though he could hear the captain's breathing, there was no answer. It sounded like Jim had just run a marathon, for his breathing was fast and it sounded pained.

"Jim?" Spock slowly maneuvered himself onto his side. He was worried about his captain and friend. He half-crawled, half-dragged himself over to the captain's side and collapsed to the ground again as soon as he was within reach of him.  
Spock reached out for Jim's arm and pressed his fingers against the wrist. Jim's pulse was racing through his veins and he was clearly unconscious again. The captain's condition had obviously deteriorated further in the time they had been silent.

Spock rested his head back on the ground and tried to listen for sounds that might indicate that help was on the way. Unfortunately, there was only silence. He closed his eyes and lay still on his side.  
A lot of pain was still tormenting his body and he felt weak. Spock knew that he, and especially Jim, needed medical care urgently if they wanted to survive this ordeal. Also, if these Klingons came back now and tortured Jim any more, the captain would surely perish.

Suddenly, the distant sound of phasers being fired reached Spock's ears. At first he believed to be mistaken, just wanting the hear the sounds of an imminent rescue mission so badly.

But there is was again!

Spock pushed himself into a sitting position with the last of his strength. The sounds of a fight were getting louder now and running footsteps were getting closer to them. Spock stared intently at the gate that held them prisoner in this cell, waiting for who or what was going to appear.  
The footsteps were growing ever louder and were definitely in their corridor now. A shadow on the ground announced a person running in the direction of the gate. Hands suddenly grabbed the bars and a terrified face peered into the cell. Spock felt an immense wave of relief wash over him as he lay eyes upon the person.  
"Nyota…." he whispered. 

* * *

"Come on, follow us!" Sulu's voice resonated through the crater and reached Chekov, Scotty, Uhura and Bones, who were still hidden behind the rocks. They immediately came into action and ran into the crater. They found Sulu standing near the entrance of what appeared to be a cave, surrounded by Klingons that were either dead or knocked out. Sounds of further fights still sounded from inside the cave, so the battle was definitely not over yet.

"Go down to the lower level. That's where the cells must be. Keep a watchful eye though, there might still be more Klingons" Sulu passed out the instructions as he led his four crew members into the cave, "I will come find you as soon as we have cleared the upper level".

Uhura, Chekov, Scotty and Bones quickly made their way down the stone staircase and ended up at the dark and damp lower level. The corridor was only lit here and there with a lamp, but otherwise the visibility was limited.  
"Weapons at the ready" Uhura whispered to the others.

The four of them quietly crept through the corridor. They made sure that every nook and cranny was clear of possible foes, but they encountered nothing or no one.  
Bones was starting to feel worried when they were reaching the end of the corridor and there was still no sign of Jim or Bones.  
"They must be here somewhere" he mumbled, a hint of fear in his voice.  
"There's a turn in the corridor" Scotty answered hopeful. The engineer was right. It was difficult to see because of the dim lighting, but the corridor definitely took a turn to the right.

Uhura and Chekov quickly rounded the corner, weapons raised and ready to fire at anyone that would be attacking them.  
The corridor they turned onto was only a short one, and completely empty and deserted. At the end of it, a dim light flooded out from a doorway on the right hand side.  
"Spock..." Uhura whispered urgently, for she could already sense that they had found what they were looking for. She broke into a run and came to a skidding stop in front of the gate that sealed off the cell. Bones, Chekov and Scotty could all hear her gasp audibly as she peered through the bars. This could only mean the worst… 

* * *

**Thanks again for reading and for all the favs, follows and reviews. They are still all highly appreciated ;-)  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Bones did not have to ask whether they had found their captain and first officer. The expression on Uhura's face as she stared into the cell, told him everything he needed to know and more.

"Are they in there?" Scotty pushed passed Bones and ran over to the lieutenant, with Chekov quickly following his example. Scotty, too, took one look into the cell, before shifting his gaze back to Bones. There was an intense seriousness on the Scotsman's face that Bones was not accustomed to from him.  
"We need you here, doc" Scotty said just loud enough for the doctor to hear.  
"Yeah" Bones mumbled. He drew a deep breath to calm his fears and took the dreaded steps to the bars of the cell. It felt like his shoes were all of a sudden filled with lead and the short corridor had turned into a mile long one.

Finally, Bones took the last step and peered through the bars. He felt his breath catch in his throat and his heart skip a beat. What he saw was worse than what he had been imagining.  
"My god..." he whispered and immediately averted his eyes back to the ground. Spock was sitting upright, but it looked like he kept himself up on willpower alone. His posture held nothing of its usual control or awareness. Jim lay on the ground, closeby Spock. The captain was unmoving and did not react in any way to the arrival of their rescuers. Even from a distance it was clear that both of them were severely injured and that the ground was soaked in their blood.

"We need to get this gate open" Uhura shook the bars, but the gate would not budge.  
"I'll shoot the lock!" Chekov immediately directed his phaser at it.  
"Wait!" Scotty cried out and stopped the young Russian from pulling the trigger, "let us get out of the way first. In case you… uhm… the shot ricochets".  
"Good idea, Mr. Scott!" Chekov said a little too happily for the true meaning behind Scotty's words.

Bones, Uhura and Scotty all took a few steps back as Chekov re-directed his phaser at the lock of the gate. The Russian's aim, however, was dead-on and after just one shot the gate swung loose and permitted them entrance to the cell.

Bones was the first to rush over the threshold. It took him only four giant strides to cross to the other side of the cell and reach Spock and Jim. He came to a skidding stop beside Jim's side and dropped to his knees. Uhura was right behind him, turning her attention immediately to Spock.

The worry had tied a knot in Bones' chest and made it feel tight. For a few seconds he just stared at Jim's injuries and took in the severity of them. The gunshot wound to the captain's shoulder, his back that was beaten to a pulp, his blood that stained the floor…  
"My God, Jim" Bones mumbled softly, "what have they done to you?"

Bones pressed his fingers gently against his friend's neck and felt the too rapid heartbeat. His fingers lingered there for a few beats, when Jim suddenly stirred. The captain groaned softly and weakly swatted the doctor's hands away from his neck. His muscles tensed up and he tried to edge away.  
"Jim" Bones said softly, "calm down, it's me. You're safe, man". Jim groaned once again and his eyes fluttered open. Bones looked into those familiar blue eyes and saw all the pain, weakness and misery pour out of them as the captain stared back at him.  
"Bones?" Jim whispered the name with a hint of surprise in his otherwise weary and utterly weak voice.  
"Yeah, kiddo" Bones answered, "it's me, I'm here".  
"Help me..." Jim's plea for help, spoken with a broken and trembling voice, cut through Bones like a knife. His friend and captain was many things, but he never was one to be helpless or dependent. He hadn't been named the captain of a starship for nothing: this was a strong man, with a will of his own. And a strong will that was! A will that would often get him in trouble, but he almost always found a way out by himself. Scarred and bruised mostly, which would have Bones throw a fit at his friend. But not now... Now he was a broken man, defeated and helpless.

Bones did not know what to respond, so he just placed a hand on Jim's forearm. He looked deep into his best friend's eyes once more and slowly watched the consciousness leave them again. 

* * *

Uhura had sprinted into the cell right behind Bones. She, however, only had eyes for Spock.  
The Vulcan sat upright and silently watched her run in his direction and throw herself down onto her knees in front of him.  
"Spock?" Uhura's voice was choked up and tears were already streaming down her face.  
"Nyota..." Spock's reply was weak, "why did you come here?"  
"That's what you do when you love someone" Uhura said with a quiet sob, "you go to great lengths to find and help them".  
"The captain is in more dire need of medical attention" Spock mumbled. He sat hunched over, barely able to keep himself upright now. His eyes were dangerously close to falling shut every now and then, and his complexion had gone whiter than snow.  
"Doctor McCoy is with him" Uhura answered. Spock seemed not even aware of the doctor sitting just a few feet away from him.

"How is he?" Bones turned his attention to Uhura and Spock.  
"He's awake, but only just" Uhura answered, "the injuries took a heavy toll on him and he's weak. How's the captain?"  
"Critical" Bones mumbled darkly, "we need to get them out of here immediately". Bones moved over to Spock's side and quickly checked the first officer over.  
"Doctor?" Spock did seem to realize that someone else was by his side now, gently pressing and feeling the areas around his injuries.  
"What?" Bones responded in his usual grumble.  
"Is the captain alright?" Spock slurred his words. Bones did not answer right away, which made Spock raise his head just enough to be able to look at the medic.  
"Doctor?" Spock repeated softly.  
"No, Spock" Bones finally answered, "the captain is not alright..." 

* * *

Everyone in the cell was quiet for a while. Jim had remained unconscious after his short moment of wakefulness, Bones further examined Spock in silence, soundless tears still rolled down Uhura's cheeks, and Scotty and Chekov observed everything from a little distance.

They were all suddenly startled by running footsteps echoing around the corridor that lead up to the cell. Uhura's focus was instantly back. She drew her weapon and jumped to her feet, barking at Scotty and Chekov to follow her example.

The three of them aimed their phasers at the entrance to the cell and waited for what was to come. The footsteps grew louder, until suddenly Sulu appeared out of the darkness and skidded around the corner.  
"Wow, hey!" he raised his hands in surrender upon seeing the weapons aimed at him with deadly precision. Scotty chuckled in relief, before he, Chekov and Uhura all lowered their defenses.  
"We're clear" Sulu reported, "the Klingons are defeated". He took one look at his captain and first officer, however, to know that his troubles were far from over.  
"How are they, doctor?" Sulu asked carefully.  
"Not well" Bones rose to his feet, "I need to bring them back to the Enterprise straight away. Only there I have the supplies to try and treat those injuries".  
"Can you save them?" Sulu asked, a hint of hope sounding through in his voice. Bones took a deep breath and seemed to think long and hard on his answer.  
"I really don't know..." 

* * *

**Thanks again for reading. Next chapter will be up a.s.a.p.  
** **All reviews, favs and follows are still highly appreciated ;-)  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**So... I had a little accident, which left me with one fractured wrist and a sprain to the other one. This has caused typing and/or writing to be a bit difficult for me lately, and unfortunately it probably will remain so in the near future... :-( Updates for this story will therefore be a little more irregularly, but I do promise that it will be finished!**

 **So, here is the next chapter. Enjoy, and all reviews are still highly appreciated! ;-)**

* * *

Scotty and Chekov had found the remains of a large wooden door, which could serve as makeshift gurney for Jim. It was quite clear that the captain was not going to wake up any time soon and that he would have to be carried to the safety of the shuttle. Spock, on the other hand, was still conscious. It was only just, but he insisted that he was able to walk back to the shuttle by himself, be it with some help from the others.

After he had concluded that Spock was not on the verge of imminent death, Bones had moved right back over to Jim. Even though the captain was unconscious, Bones did not like the idea of him being alone. He closely monitored the captain's breathing and heart-rate as he sat next him.

"This oughta do it" Scotty walked up to Bones, carrying the piece of door he and Chekov had found. They had cleared it of any sharp elements and dirt, and now decided it was ready for using.  
"Perfect" Bones grumbled, "now, help me get him on there. It's best we do this now he's still out".  
Moving Jim onto the improvised gurney was actually quite simple. Since the captain was still unconscious, they could move him around without the fear of causing him too much pain. Getting Spock to his feet, however, was not that easy... He needed Uhura, Sulu and Chekov to assist him in standing up. Actually, the three crew members needed to carefully hoist him up. Spock whimpered and hissed painfully with every movement he made, but was still persistent in walking by himself.  
It took a great effort, but the Vulcan finally stood on his feet. His knees looked ready to give out again at any moment, though, and he hung with nearly his full weight on Uhura and Sulu.

Bones quickly checked Jim's and Spock's vitals once more, before they would start making their way back to the shuttle. The captain's heart rate was too rapid for Bones' liking and his breathing was far too shallow. Spock's condition seemed a little stronger than Jim's, but he too wasn't breathing the way he should be and seemed to be functioning on the very last of his strength.  
"Alright, let's move, guys" Bones called out urgently. He was keen to get moving and wanted to get off this goddamn planet as fast as he could.

Scotty and Chekov lifted the wooden door with Jim on it off the ground. Uhura had Spock's right arm slung around her neck, while Sulu tightly held the Vulcan's left arm.  
"Are you really sure you can do this?" Uhura quietly asked Spock. The Vulcan nodded once, but the look in his eyes did not completely agree with this confirmation.  
"Alright then, very slowly" Uhura encouraged him, "just lean on me and Sulu". Spock tentatively took a step, Uhura and Sulu supported him with all their might.  
"That's it" Uhura said, "you're doing great". It went slowly, but gradually the three of them found a rhythm in which they could walk.

Bones led the way out of the cell, illuminating the dark corridors with a flashlight. Together, the crew of the Enterprise would successfully complete this rescue mission and bring their captain and first officer up to safety.

* * *

The way out of the Klingon's lair was a tricky one. Especially the stairs that would finally bring them back to daylight proved to be a challenge. Scotty and Chekov had to be careful not to drop their captain to the ground, while Spock needed to stop and rest several times before he could continue. The Vulcan was now barely standing on his own two feet anymore, but more held up and dragged forward by Uhura and Sulu. In front of them, Chekov and Scotty had just disappeared with their captain into the light at the end of the stairs.  
"Come on" Sulu encouraged Spock, whose consciousness was rapidly fading.  
"Just a little further" Uhura joined in. Spock's only reply was a half-hearted grunt, but he dug up some final strength to take the final steps and reach the cool outside air too.

The shuttle and the rest of the crew that had come to the planet stood waiting for them outside. They were ready to finally take Jim and Spock back to the Enterprise. To take them home…

* * *

Once inside the shuttle, Uhura and Sulu directed Spock to a row of seats and carefully lay him down across it.  
"On his side" Bones instructed them, "try not to let the wounds get into contact with any of the surface". Bones pointed to a few blankets that had been laid ready for use.  
"Cover him with one of those" Bones said, "he feels a bit cold and we don't want to add hypothermia to his list of injuries". Sulu immediately did as the doctor told them.  
"Doctor?" Uhura sounded frightened, "Sulu and I need to operate the shuttle. We can't watch..."  
"I'll find someone to keep an eye on Spock, don't worry" Bones interrupted her.  
"Thank you" Uhura answered quietly, but sincerely.

When he was certain that Spock was reasonably comfortable, Bones turned his attention to Jim. Scotty and Chekov had just carried the captain into the shuttle and seemed to be waiting for further instructions.  
"Over there" Bones indicated a quiet part of the shuttle, away from the other passengers. He watched, jaw clenched tightly shut, as Scotty and Chekov lowered the captain onto the ground.  
"Thank you" Bones said when it was done, "Mr. Scott, would you please be so kind to keep an eye on Spock? Uhura and Sulu will need to fly this thing. Inform me immediately when anything changes in his condition".  
"Aye-aye, sir" Scotty answered and left to check on the Vulcan.

Bones sat down on the ground next to Jim. He rested his back against the shuttle wall and stared sadly at his stricken best friend. He took Jim's right arm in his hands and rested his fingers on the pulse point of the captain's wrist. The fact the he still felt something, eased his nerves somewhat. On the other hand, the heartbeat he felt was starting to get slightly irregular, which made him realize yet again that Jim was not even nearly out of danger yet.  
"Mr. Sulu" Bones called out to the acting captain, "please get us back to the Enterprise as quickly as you can".  
"Will do, sir!" Sulu called back.

The engines of the shuttle roared to life, and not long after its wheels lost their contact with the ground. They left this godforsaken planet behind and no one had any intention of returning there ever again...

* * *

The shuttle landed controlled on the cargo deck of the Enterprise.  
"Everyone remain seated!" Sulu shouted through the aircraft, "please let the doctors do their work before we disembark".

The doors hadn't even fully been opened, when doctors and nurses were already streaming in.  
"Doctor Waters!" Bones hailed over a middle-aged man with lightbrown hair that was specked in places with grey. He was the second in command in the Med Bay.  
"Commander Spock will be under your care and supervision for now" Bones informed his colleague, "you have my permission to call out all the personnel that you need".  
"Yes, sir" Waters answered. He turned on his heels, hailed over some nurses and made way for Spock.

A few other nurses jogged into Bones' direction, bringing along a bio-bed.  
"Help me get him up there" Bones instructed them. Jim was carefully lifted from the ground and placed on the bed.  
"Get him to the Med Bay immediately and prepare an operating table. I will be there straight away" Bones said. One nurse briskly nodded her head and took the captain away to the Medical ward.

* * *

Bones had never made his way faster from the cargo deck back to the Med Bay. He had changed into his operating gear even faster, and now stood next to the operating table that held Jim.  
Several machines were beeping and feeding him information on Jim's vitals, which were still way too off for the doctor's liking.

The captain lay on his front, torso void of any clothing, revealing yet again the horrible injuries to his back. His face was turned in Bones' direction, but it lacked any expression and those, usually expressive and somewhat mischievous, blue eyes were closed.  
Jim had immediately been hooked up to an IV, providing him with the necessary fluids, a blood transfusion, and antibiotics in case any infections were taking a hold of his wounds.

Two nurses stood on the opposite side of the operating table, waiting for Bones to start the surgery. The doctor took a deep breath to steady his fears.  
"Please pass me the local anaesthetics" he said to none of the nurses in particular.  
"But, sir..." one of them said uncertainly.  
"He is too weak to go under full anaesthetic, a local one will be the only way" the tone of Bones' voice told that he did not like it either, but that he was not given much of a choice.  
In the end, the nurses complied and handed over the syringe that contained the drug. Bones injected it at several points into Jim's back and shoulders, and allowed a little time for it to start working.

"Leave us" Bones mumbled to his nurses, as he waited to the anaesthetic to kick in.  
"Doctor McCoy?" one of the nurses asked uncertainly. It was not customary for a doctor to perform any kind of surgery without the assistance of at least one nurse.  
"Leave us" Bones repeated a little more sternly now, "this is something I must do alone. I will call you over if I need help". The nurses were reluctant at first, but ultimately complied with the doctor's orders. They left one by one and pulled the curtain closed behind them, leaving Bones alone with Jim.

Bones turned his back on Jim momentarily to straighten out the surgical instruments that he would be needing. When he turned back, about half a minute later, he found slits of blue eyes staring back at him.  
"Bones..." the name slipped from Jim's lips with the greatest effort.  
"Hey, kid" Bones said softly. He was relieved, and also a little surprised, to see Jim conscious. Given the captain's condition it was a small miracle that he was somewhat awake.

Now that Bones was alone with his best friend and saw him awake, he finally dared to show he true effect this had all had on him. He felt tired, worn out and beaten down, and he knew that there was still a lot to be done before Jim would be anywhere near out of the woods.

"I am...not… going to… like this, right?" Jim asked shakily. Bones glanced over his shoulder at the operating instruments that he knew Jim had seen.  
"You won't feel a thing" Bones eased his friend.  
"...certain?" Even though Jim's eyes were only half-opened and his mind was far from clear, the fear was still very visible in him.  
"Don't worry, buddy" Bones placed a hand on Jim's forearm, "I know I grumble a lot at you and threaten you every day with all kinds of things, but...". Bones fell silent for a second, and he needed to swallow away a small lump in his throat before he could continue.

"... Never in my life could I do anything to cause you pain..."


	10. Chapter 10

**So... I am very sorry for the hiatus in this story. Life has not been really kind to me lately and, unfortunately, I had to put my priorities elsewhere. I can't promise that the chapters after this one will follow soon, but I surely promise that this story will not be forgotten and that it will be finished eventually! For now, have fun with this chapter. And still, all your reviews, favs and follows are highly appreciated :D**

* * *

Bones quietly picked up the instruments that he needed and turned back to Jim. Those blue eyes were wearily following his every move.

"Alright" Bones sighed deeply. This was something he did every day, but still it was different now.  
"I will need to clean your wounds to prevent any infection" Bones explained to his friend, "after that you will need rest. _Lots_ _of rest_ ". He emphasized those last words and he could have sworn that the corner of Jim's mouth momentarily curled into a tiny smile.  
"I'm not very good at that" Jim whispered with a hint of sarcasm.  
"Well, you're gonna. I'll strap you to the bed if I have to" Bones gave Jim one of his characteristic eyebrow raises. Jim did not respond, showing just once more how weak he was, because this would usually have sparked a reaction from the captain.

There was silence for a short while, only broken by the sounds of the Med Bay running as usual on the other side of the curtains surrounding them.  
"Jim?" Bones asked quietly. The captain had his eyes closed again and Bones wasn't sure whether he was still conscious. A soft groan came from Jim, but otherwise he remained unmoving.  
"I'm starting the procedure" Bones explained, "you will not feel any pain, I promise, but you might experience some tugging or pressure".  
"Where's Spock?" Jim's question came out of the blue and caught Bones somewhat off guard. It was as if Jim had only just now realized that his First Officer was also injured.  
"Uhm..." was Bones' initial response. The beeps of Jim's heart monitor picked up in pace and the captain opened his eyes to give Bones a fear-filled stare.  
"Jim, calm down" the doctor collected himself again, "Spock is going to be fine. Doctor Waters is treating him".  
"But he was injured" Jim gasped.  
"Yes, he is" Bones tried to calm his friend, "Doctor Waters is a good doctor. He'll make sure that green-blooded bastard will be up and running in no time".  
"Chekov?" Jim asked with an effort.  
"Shaken up" Bones answered, "but nothing time won't heal".  
"Good" Jim sighed shakily and closed his eyes again, "that's real good".

Bones waited a moment until he was certain Jim had nothing else to say. When the captain indeed remained quiet, the doctor picked up his surgical instruments again.

Bones commenced with cleaning Jim's wounds. He tried to be gentle, so as not to cause Jim too much discomfort, but sometimes he did need to be a bit rough to rid the wounds of all the dirt and dead flesh. The spiked bat had left some pretty deep wounds on Jim's back, which made the chance of infection all the more serious. Bones estimated that about two-thirds of the wounds would require sutures to fully stop the bleeding and give them a chance of healing up properly.  
A soft beeping alarm warned Bones that the bag of blood Jim was being given had nearly run out. The doctor checked one of the screens and diagnosed that the captain's blood pressure was still too low. He poked his head around the curtain and called over to one of the nurses.  
"Two more bags of O-negative, please".  
It was only fitting that Jim was the only one on board the Enterprise to have the rare blood type O-negative. His tendency to get injured actually was the only reason that they carried a supply of this blood type on board.

Bones turned his attention back to the patient on his table. Jim had not even moved a finger since the treatment of his wounds had started.  
"You alright?" Bones asked his friend. A few muscles along Jim's jawline clenched and unclenched a few times before he answered.  
"No" his voice sounded weak, but at the same time strained.  
"Do you need me to stop for a moment?" Bones asked.  
"No" Jim breathed out, "just… get it over with". Bones nodded his head a few times.  
"I'll be quick" he responded quietly. He hated seeing Jim like this, but he knew that the treatment had to be done.

By now, Jim's wounds had been fully disinfected and rid of any dirt.  
Bones quietly prepared the thread and suture needles. He would apply the sutures to any wound that would need it on Jim's back, before he would turn his attention to Jim's shoulder wound. He realized that Jim was watching him work through half-opened eyes now. The doctor turned back to his patient to start suturing up the wounds, but he hesitated a moment.  
"What?" Jim asked softly.  
"I was just thinking… there has only been one time that I treated you for more severe wounds" Bones mumbled, staring at the needle and thread in his hands.  
"I was dead then" Jim answered softly. Bones nodded slowly.  
"Yeah, well, let's make sure you do not end up like that again today". He gave Jim a slight smile, which the captain carefully returned.

* * *

It took Bones another 45 minutes to suture up all the wounds on Jim's back and treat the gunshot wound to his shoulder.  
Somewhere during that time, Jim had sunk back into unconsciousness. The captain was still far from alright, but, given the circumstances, Bones was mildly pleased with how Jim was holding up so far.

"Nurse, a hand, please" Bones poked his head around the curtain again and the nearest nurse rushed over.  
"Yes, doctor?" She asked as soon as she was within reasonable earshot.  
"Grab that bio-bed over there and help me transfer him onto it" Bones instructed.  
The nurse quickly brought over the appointed bed, and she and Bones carefully moved Jim onto it. The captain was lain on his side to relieve the wounds on his back and front of his shoulder.  
Bones hooked up the machines again that would constantly measure Jim's vitals. He watched the screens for a while and took in the information that they fed him.  
"Come on, Jim" Bones mumbled encouragingly, "hang in there, buddy". He momentarily placed a hand on his friend's forearm, before turning around and walking away.

Bones now turned his attention to the other people that were in his ward. Almost all were other casualties from the fight on the planet earlier that day. There were some minor injuries that could be treated without an admittance to the ward, while some others had sustained injuries that would require them to stay in the Med Bay overnight. However, they were all expected to be discharged again tomorrow morning. The only one that was in for a longer stay, besides Jim, was Spock.

Bones stood at the foot of the First Officer's bed, brow furrowed into a crease. Jim might be a regular "guest" in the Med Bay, Spock certainly was not. Seeing the Vulcan injured, weak and unconscious was a novelty and, quite frankly, it unsettled Bones. His eyes scanned the displays that showed Spock's vitals and he came to the conclusion that he was doing a little better than Jim, but that his condition was still worrying.  
The doctor passed a hand over his face and sighed a deep, miserable sigh. He was used to seeing patients in critical condition, but it always hit a little closer to home when friends were involved.

"Will they be okay?"  
Bones whipped around to the voice coming from behind him, and found Chekov standing a few feet away. The young Russian looked beaten down and tired, and was supporting his injured arm with his good hand. He stared at the doctor with wide eyes.  
"If their conditions don't deteriorate overnight, then they're one step in the right direction" Bones answered, overcoming the initial scare. Chekov averted his gaze down to his own shoes.  
"It's my fault..." he mumbled softly.  
"Whoa, what?" Bones took one step closer to the ensign.  
"It's all my fault" Chekov said a little louder this time, "I left them, I..."  
"Hey, now, don't do that to yourself", Bones placed his hands on either side of Chekov's shoulders, "you're not going to blame yourself for this". Chekov was quickly working his way into an anxiety attack, and Bones could feel him tremble all over.  
"Calm down, kid" Bones tried to sooth, "let's sit you down somewhere, before you hit the floor".  
"I actually came for this" Chekov held out his injured arm to the doctor. Red spots were getting visible through the hastily applied bandage, meaning the wound had started bleeding again.  
"Sure" Bones answered, "come on, I'll take care of it".

Bones directed Chekov to a treatment table and sat him down on it. He gathered some supplies and removed the old bandage from the Russian's arm. Upon closer inspection, Bones had to admit that the laceration was deeper than he had first anticipated.  
"Must have been quite a tumble" the doctor commented.  
"It was" Chekov said softly. His trembling had not subsided in the least, and he was taking short and a little ragged breaths.  
"Tell me about what happened on that planet" Bones said, whilst washing the dirt out of Chekov's wound.  
"No" Chekov nearly gasped the word and a fresh wave of panic seemed to wash over him.  
"Trust me, kid" Bones encouraged him, "talking about it helps. You might not see it now, but it really does".

Chekov did not utter a word for a while and seemed to think hard on whether or not the doctor was right. Bones worked on in silence, as he did not want to push the matter.

"He yelled at me..." Chekov suddenly said softly. His voice sounded utterly broken and vulnerable. Bones deliberately kept his eyed fixed on the wound on Chekov's arm, to prevent the Russian from changing his mind.  
"Who? Jim?" Bones said.  
"Yes" Chekov answered, "at the… crater where they were… taken".  
"I'm sure he didn't mean to" Bones said.  
"He was afraid" Chekov nearly whispered the words. Bones sat back in his chair and now he did look at the Russian's face.  
"What happened in that crater?" he asked. A hint of tears was sparkling in Chekov's eyes and his trembling worsened marginally.  
"We were halfway through the route we had to clear" Chekov began, "I had fallen a little behind. Suddenly the captain and the Commander stopped and… I… could feel something was wrong. They could see something that I couldn't, and the captain was signaling me not to come closer".  
Bones nodded encouragingly, while he applied the first of the stitches to Chekov's arm.  
"I didn't know what it was" Chekov continued, "Well, now I know it was the Klingons, but I couldn't see them then... I wanted to go to the crater too and that was when the captain yelled at me. He ordered me to run, so… so I did. I hid behind some rocks and I heard the captain get shot. He crumpled to his knees and after that I did not dare to look anymore...".

Chekov fell silent and took a few deep breaths to attempt to calm himself down.  
"After that you returned to the shuttle and radioed us" Bones completed the events for him. He glanced up shortly to find a single tear roll down the Russian's cheek.  
"Yeah" Chekov mumbled.  
"You did very good" Bones said, "without you Jim and Spock wouldn't have stood a chance".  
"I don't know about that..." Chekov avoided to look at the doctor now.  
"Take it from a doctor that it is true" Bones said determinedly.

Chekov remained silent and watched Bones finish the stitches to his arm.  
"What do I do now?" The Russian had never sounded so lost before. Bones observed him shortly. Chekov's trembling had gotten even worse and he looked to be on the verge of a mental breakdown.  
"I'm gonna keep you here in the Med Bay overnight" Bones finally said, "we don't want you going into shock. I will give you a little sedative to take the edge off, so you can have good night's rest and hopefully you'll feel better in the morning". Chekov buried his face in his hands and nodded quietly in agreement.  
"Appreciate it, sir" the Russian mumbled through his hands.

Bones applied a bandage to Chekov's arm to cover up the stitches.  
"Alright, let's get you to a bed". Bones guided Chekov to the nearest available bio-bed. The sedative he hypo-ed into the Russian's neck earned him a soft wince, but otherwise there came no protest. Chekov lay down in the bed and buried himself under the blankets. Bones watched as the young man rolled himself onto his side and closed his eyes.  
"You comfortable?" He asked, "is your arm not hurting too much?"  
"No, it's fine. Thank you, sir" Chekov answered. His voice had already started to sound drowsy and the sedative was clearly taking effect.  
"Don't worry about it" Bones mumbled back. The doctor turned around and pulled the curtains closed around Chekov, who had drifted off to sleep in a matter of seconds.


	11. Chapter 11

Bones stood in the middle of the Med Bay, for the first time feeling lost on his own ward. He stood with a hand covering his face and thought about everything that had happened that day.

"Dr. McCoy?"  
Bones was pulled from his train of thought by Dr. Waters. The middle-aged man was standing a few feet from him and was looking at Bones with slight concern in his eyes.  
"Perhaps you should have a rest, sir?" Dr. Waters suggested. Bones glanced over his shoulder at the beds that held Jim and Spock.  
"We will keep a close eye on them" Waters read Bones' concern, "if anything changes in their condition, we will inform you immediately".

Bones passed a hand over his face. The foresight to a bit of sleep was appealing, for he indeed was very tired, but at the same time he did not really want to leave Spock and, especially, Jim.  
He took another look at Jim. The captain was lying somewhat peaceful in his bed. Fighting for his life, but at least he did not seem in distress right now.

" Alright..." Bones sighed, "but I want to know as soon as anything changes".  
"Absolutely" Dr. Waters promised. Bones nodded his approval once more, before he quietly left the ward.

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Bones was actually a bit relieved to reach the peace and quiet of his own cabin and be able to be alone for a while. He leaned back against the door he had just shut behind him and only now fully realized how exhausted he actually was.  
"Dammit" he mumbled under his breath, cursing the day's entire situation. He dragged himself over to the bed and allowed himself to fall down on it.

Even though Dr. Waters had promised to inform immediately if something was up with either Spock or Jim, Bones still kept his PADD on the nightstand. From there he could tap into real-time details on Jim's and Spock's vital signs and he would be watching them closely.

Bones rolled himself onto his side. He did not even take off his shoes or any of his clothes, all he wanted now was sleep. He closed his eyes and before he even had time to start mulling things over, sleep had already dragged him under.

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He was used to waking up in the Med Bay with some sort of injury. It happened more often when they had been on a mission or when they had engaged in a battle. Somehow, their opponents always chose him as their target. Probably an occupational hazard of being the captain of a starship...

Still, something felt different this time. The pain in his body was more intense and wide-spread, and his mind felt foggy. He was sweating profusely, but shivering because he felt so cold. His back was burning with excruciating pain and breathing felt extremely difficult.

"Captain Kirk?"  
Jim pried his eyes open and needed a moment to focus his gaze on a middle-aged doctor standing next to his bed. The doctor was staring down at him with worry etched into his features.  
"Where's Bones?" Jim's voice was hoarse and he sounded out of breath.  
"My name is Dr. Waters" the doctor answered, "Dr. McCoy is not available at the moment".

Dr. Waters gazed intently at the machines displaying Jim's vitals. The monitors indicated that his heart-rate and blood pressure had both shot up and his body temperature showed a number that was not looking promising, if not downright worrying.

"Can you tell me how you feel, captain?" Dr. Waters was not at all liking what he was seeing and eyed his patient watchfully.  
"...can't catch... my breath... pain..." Jim was nearly panting now.  
"Sir" Dr. Waters continued, "you're running a very high fever and you are hyperventilating, which might cause you to feel short of breath, but I need you to calm down".  
"Can't... breathe..." Jim tried to push himself upright and was taking heaving breaths. He had started shaking all over and anything Dr. Waters said to him did not seem to reach his mind.  
"Bones..." Jim moaned, "help me... hurts so bad...". He pulled the blankets off himself and tried to get out of the bed.  
"Sir, no, calm down!" Dr. Waters grabbed Jim's wrists to stop him from what he was doing.

That was when Jim's panic truly broke...

"Let me go!" he yelled , struggling against the grip on his wrists.  
"Sir, calm down" Dr. Waters still attempted to temper the situation, "you're going to be alright. Easy now".  
"No, you don't understand!" Jim sounded terrified, "I don't want to die!"  
"Don't worry, you'll be fine, just calm down" Dr. Waters said in one last futile attempt to bring his captain to his senses.  
"No! I don't want to die!" Jim yelled once again, "help me, please..."

"Little help over here!" Dr. Waters finally called over his shoulder, realizing this situation required more drastic measures.

Three nurses came running in his direction. Two of them immediately grabbed Jim's legs to try and regain control over their patient.  
"Get a sedative" Waters ordered the third nurse.

The nurse came running back with the tranquilizer in no time.  
"In his neck" Waters ordered and the nurse hypo'ed the sedative into Jim's system at the appointed location. Jim's panic had risen to such a level that he did not even feel it happen. The doctors kept struggling with him, waiting for the drug to start working.

It took a full minute before the sedative started to have any effect on Jim, but finally his struggling lessened and the doctors were able to lie him back down on the bed.  
"It's alright, captain, give in to it" Dr. Waters soothed. Jim mumbled incoherently a few times, before he went completely limp and slipped back into unconsciousness.

"What was that?" one of the nurses asked. Dr. Waters gave a short answer, but the severity of the situation dripped from those words.

"Not good..."

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Bones was awoken by a shrill beeping sound. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was an alarm on his PADD going off. He quickly sat upright and snatched the blaring device off of his nightstand.  
For the second time in less then a day he was staring at Jim's vitals and not liking what he saw there... Jim's blood pressure and heart rate had shot up again and were now joined by a new symptom as well: fever. And not just any fever, a 41C one.

"My God" Bones sighed gravely. This high a fever could only mean that Jim's wounds, despite Bones' best efforts, had gotten infected.

Bones quickly jumped out of his bed and scrambled around his cabin for a change of clothes. He was just stomping his foot into a shoe, when his phone rang.  
"Yes?" Bones picked up.  
"Dr. McCoy, you'd better come down here...". It was Dr. Waters.  
"I know, I saw" Bones answered, "on my way".

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Bones ran through the corridors of the Enterprise. He bumped into several people and called out his apologies on the run, but not once did he slow down.

He came to a skidding stop at the Med Bay. Where he had expected the place to be chaos, it instead was calm and quiet.

"Waters?" Bones asked uncertainly as he saw his second in command sitting at one of the desks.  
"I'm sorry, sir, we had to sedate him" Waters said, rising to his feet.  
"What happened?" Bones asked.  
"The captain, he woke up in a panic. We tried to calm him down, but we couldn't" Dr. Waters explained, "a sedative was our only option in the end".  
"You did the right thing" Bones answered wearily, "I assume his wounds got infected?"  
"Yes, sir" Dr. Waters answered, "we have already started him on antibiotics and we have refreshed the bandages. He said that he had difficulty breathing, but his lungs are clean and his ribs appear undamaged as well. I assume that it was caused by the fever in combination with hyperventilation from the panic attack".  
"It must be" Bones answered sincerely, "thank you".

The two doctors were silent for a second.  
"What do you want us to do now, sir?" Dr. Waters asked.  
"I believe the fever and the infection caused him to have the panic attack" Bones answered, "our main concern is to bring that fever down. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in fast to take care of that. As long as the fever is still this high, he needs to be cooled constantly with ice packs. And the bandages must be changed twice a day to prevent any further infection".  
"I'll inform the nurses, sir" Dr. Waters retreated to instruct the personnel.

"One more thing" Dr. Waters momentarily turned back to Bones, "during his state of panic, the captain kept repeating that he did not want to die. I didn't think much of it in the heat of the moment, but perhaps it has something to do with what happened with Khan?"  
"It's possible, I wouldn't know" Bones answered, but he wasn't being truthful. In fact he knew perfectly well what that had meant, but that was a conversation he would have with Jim at a later moment.  
"Just wondering" Dr. Waters mumbled and walked away.

Bones went to check on Jim. He needed to see for himself how his friend was doing.  
Jim had been lain on his side to relieve the wounds to his back. Bones immediately noticed that Jim's vitals had deteriorated badly compared to when he had left him several hours ago. The captain's breathing was uneven, and occasionally his breath would hitch in his chest and he would slightly gasp for air. Sweat stood out on his face, but he was almost constantly trembling. The sickly sweet smell of infection hung around him.

Bones stared speechlessly at his best friend. He was trying to keep himself together, but seeing Jim in such a bad state was close to heartbreaking.  
"Dammit, Jim!" Bones finally broke. He pulled the chair next to the bed closer and sank down on it. He buried his face in his hands and tried to steady his fears. Jim's condition had gone from 'critical but stable' to 'extremely worrying' in just a few hours time, and Bones could really not predict anymore whether his best friend would pull through.

"Doctor?"  
The voice came from behind the curtain that separated Jim from the next patient. Bones lifted his head up out of his hands and sat up a little more straight. He pulled the curtain aside and turned in his chair to face the person whom had spoken.  
"What can I do for you, Spock?" he said, attempting to keep his voice from breaking.

The Vulcan lay in his bed still, but was looking at the doctor.  
"I determine that the captain is not well?" Spock said softly. His speech was uncharacteristically hesitant and empty of authority.  
"Well, you got that right" Bones answered with a hefty sigh, "how are you holding up yourself?"  
"I believe to feel some slight improvement" Spock answered. Bones glanced at the machines surrounding the First Officer and nodded his silent agreement.

Silence fell between the two of them. They usually did not have much to say to one another, apart from business, which made the situation feel somewhat awkward.

"Spock?" Bones broke the silence. He spoke almost heartbroken, keeping his gaze averted from the Vulcan's face.  
"What are we going to do if Jim doesn't make it?" Bones continued.  
"We have no reason to assume, doctor, that..." Spock began.  
"We have every reason to assume that Jim is in life's danger" Bones interrupted him, "it already was a miracle that he survived that beating, but now with the infection...". Bones did not dare finish his sentence.  
"The captain has the most skilled doctors attending to him" Spock answered softly, "you must not deny his chances".  
"I'm a doctor, Spock, not a miracle worker" Bones grumbled.  
"Still, I believe you are" Spock kept going, "you revived the captain already once before".  
"Yeah..." Bones sighed heavily and his brow furrowed into a crease, "but that was different. There is no blood from Khan to help him now, and only time will tell whether he'll be able to fight this one off...".

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Author's Note: Thanks again for reading and staying loyal to this story :-)All reviews, favs and follows are still highly appreciated! The next chapter will follow, but unfortunately can still not promise on a time...


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